I'm about to freakin' break something...!

New to this forum yet not new to the all powerful knowledge "forums" provide.

Here's the issue.

I've got a Netgear storage router connected to DSL in the kitchen of my home (there's no phone line in the computer room). I've got both a laptop with a wireless card and a desktop with the same. The connectivity of the desktop is sup par.

To rectify this I bought another refurbished Netgear storage router and a Netgear wireless access point knowing which I would like to use yet not know which device would work.

I wanted to set up either the wireless access point or the second router in the room with the computers to pick up the signal from the first router and then in turn hard wire the laptop, desktop, and game console directly to the wireless access point or second storage router. Ideally, I would like to use the second storage router because I'd like to connect one of my external HDs to the second storage router.

My questions are as follow:

HTF do you do this?! Can I indeed use the storage router to pick up the signal from the first router?

Can you do this?!

I only tried to configure the Netgear wireless access point. I was never able to log on the the access point's configuration page. Don't know why.

Netgears damn instructions conflicted with the troubleshooting Q&A's I found on Netgear's website... probably my last time using Netgear hardware due to principle alone.

I am by no means a networking guru at all. Good with pc hardware and software, etc... but networking just hurts my damn head.

SEE CLIFF NOTES ABOVE

Any personal solutions, networking tutorial sites, etc would be appreciated.

I must begin by asking: Do you have the owner's manual for the AP? Usually you plug the AP directly into a desktop and configure it there through the Browser. Then setup, you can plug it into the router link.

Second thought: just Cat5 from the modem to the room your machines are and put the router in there.

Yea, I pluged the AP into the LT and still couldn't access the config page of the AP. The directions to the AP said to change the IP address of the pc I was using to configure the AP to a static one yet I couldn't figure out how to do it.

Running a hard line from the kitchen to the computer room is not an option for me because I have two dogs, a toddler, and a baby that just started walking.

If you are reffering to changing the IP of your PC (it sounds like it), (within XP) goto your control panel / network connections / local area connections (highlight internet protocol (TCP/IP) click properties then click the radio button that says use this ip, type in the IP you need to use and VIOALA... you are done, then to set it back do the same steps but select the (obtain Ip automatically radio button) to chaneg it back...